Sheds light on the individual urge toward idealistic action--what inspires and sustains it, how it is expressed, and why it is necessary
Includes bibliographical references (pages 288-300) and index
1. Method -- 2. Kinds of service -- Social and political struggle -- Community servie -- Personal gestures and encounters -- Charity -- Religiously sanctioned action -- Service to country -- 3. Satisfaction -- Something done, someone reached -- Moral purpose -- Personal affirmation -- Stoic endurance -- A boost to success -- Interlude: mentoring -- 4. Hazards -- Weariness and resignation -- Cynicism -- Arrogance, anger and bitterness -- Despair -- Depression ("burnout") -- 5. Doing and learning -- 6. Young idealism -- 7. Older idealism -- Interlude: what they mean to us -- 8. Consequences -- The longer run -- The larger realm -- Epilogue